Five essentials tips you need for the best Ramadan 2020!
Yes, you heard it right, Ramadan.
You must be thinking, Ramadan? Really? Well, it’s just over two months away and if we haven’t already, we should start preparing for it. The Sahaba used to prepare SIX months in advance! But we’re nowhere near their level, so with two months to go let’s start putting practical change in our lives to have the best Ramadan yet.
You must be asking how? Well, we’ve prepared five top tips for you:
Tip 1 – Read Qur’an regularly
We all try to read more Qur’an in the month of Ramadan, with many of us wanting to complete it too. But when you haven’t read for so long, you’re rusty. It takes you ages to finish a chapter and it becomes tiring alongside the long days of fasting.
So, start practising now. If you haven’t read since last Ramadan, try to read a page a day from today. Spend two minutes a day reading so when Ramadan comes, it is easier for you. Get into the habit from today so when Ramadan comes, reading Qur’an becomes natural to you.
Tip 2 - Voluntary Fasts
That first day of fasting is always the hardest right?
You wonder how you ever did it before as the first day without food or water completely drains you and your mind wonders when Maghrib will finally come. You can start doing some of the Sunnah fasts such as every Monday and Thursday, thus getting you used to fasting and making the first few days of adjusting easier.
Moreover, you can fast the three white days during the month which for March are the 8th, 9th and 10th and in April are the 6th, 7th and 8th.
Not forgetting that it gives you extra rewards and allows you to build the discipline in fasting away from just food and water.
‘The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to command us to fast the three days with the shining bright nights (Al-Ayyam Al-Bid), the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth [of every lunar month]’. (Nasa’i)
(Extra tip: start them now as the days will only get longer and harder in the lead up to Ramadan, helping you to maximise your spiritual acts with less fatigue In Sha Allah)
Tip 3 - Add some of the Sunnah's of the Prophet (saw) to your daily routine
Whether it's the extra Sunnah prayers, following the etiquette of drinking water or the sunnah putting on your shoes, try to implement small Sunnah actions into your day.
The reward of these will be multiplied by Allah during Ramadan, so what may seem small will instead hold great worth during Ramadan and weigh heavy on your scales. Here are a few you can add to your routine:
Smile more - Ibn Jaz reports: 'I have not seen anyone who smiled more than the Prophet of Allah (saw)'. [Tirmidhi]
Use Miswak - 'If it were not that it would be difficult on my nation, then I would have ordered them to use the Miswak for each prayer'. [Tirmidhi]
Visit the sick - The Prophet (saw) said, 'Feed the hungry, visit the sick and set free the captives'. [Bukhari]
The little things always add up. You can make a list of daily Du’as to read, you could make a list of the Sunnah’s and schedule them in around work or studying.
Tip 4 - Make a Ramadan Plan
A plan is key.
You don’t go into a job interview without doing your research, nor into a presentation without a plan of what you’re going to say. We’ve got to have the same mindset within Ramadan. If you know you’re going to be at your 9-5 or if you’ve got exams, plan your Ramadan around that so you can maximise your worship.
Have a Ramadan checklist where you can tick off your prayers, Qur’an, extra good deeds, so you can track what you’re doing and where you can do more. Have a timetable too. Maybe you can read Qur’an on the train journey to work?
Maybe you’ve got an hour before iftar where you can gain some knowledge or help your family members. It stops you from feeling more tired and lazy when you have nothing to do and allows you to set goals and productively reach them during Ramadan.
Fit things into the small gaps within your day. Five minutes of reflection is better than none. Moreover, don't forget that with the right intention, your work and studying can also become a form of worship, there's so mu
Tip 5 - Get into the habit of giving
Ramadan is the month of giving.
Whether that is giving in charity, giving food to your neighbour, inviting others to break fast with you, giving gifts, we are taught to engage in mercy, compassion and affection. When we give, Allah gives back to us in both this world and the next.
Our rewards are multiplied, for every £1 we give, we will get the reward for more. For every fasting person’s fast, we break, we get the reward for fasting. But giving is not exclusive only to Ramadan, some people cry day in and out, praying for someone to help them. So from today start giving. Give so those people also pray for you going into Ramadan.
You can save lives outside of Ramadan too, don’t forget the people who are suffering today.
These are just five tips to help you prepare for Ramadan 2020 if you want more then get in touch with us on Social Media and let us know!
